The Tampa Bay Rays are still open to trading away ace pitcher David Price despite signing him to a $14 million, one-year deal to avoid arbitration in February, a source close to situation reported on Tuesday.

Price, whose recently signed deal set a new all-time record as the highest one-year salary in the Rays' franchise history, will continue to be on the trading block despite signing the lucrative deal.

According to Rays insider Marc Topkin, the Tampa Bay front office is still determined to trade Price in exchange for MLB-ready prospects.

"The team-record $14 million salary the Rays and David Price agreed to Thursday in avoiding arbitration was obviously a big deal. But it doesn't provide any assurance that Price won't be traded," wrote Topkin.

On the other hand, the 2012 CY Young winner believed his recent signing could be a hint that he might stay put with the Rays for next season despite an enormous amount of trade rumors he's dealt with for the last several months.

"The chances continue to get greater, I guess, as the days go by," Price told The Tampa Bay Times. "So I'm just kind of sitting back watching, like I have all offseason."

The 28-year-old Price said he's planning to participate in the Rays' spring training in mid-February, giving him a little assurance that he would probably stay with his current team by that time.

"I think if I'm in camp, I would be on the team," he said, "because that would stink if I would be a part of the team in spring training and everybody thinks I'd be there along with them and then I get traded a couple days into spring or something like that. ... Probably Feb. 1 would be a time period that I think would kind of let me know that I would be here," added Price.

Price Still on Dodgers' Radar

It's no secret the Dodgers are looking to add another star pitcher to their lineup despite inking Dan Haren and extending Clayton Kershaw to a lucrative deal. Having both the talents and money to pull off a big trade, the Dodgers are very much in position to get Price at any time. 

Still, the Dodgers need to part ways with some of their prospects to get the deal done. Right-handed pitchers Chris Reed & Zach Lee and outfielders Corey Seager and Joc Pederson could be traded to the Rays in exchange for Price, who went 10-8 with a 3.33 ERA and 151 strikeouts last season.